


Kindred Spirits

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Pre-Calamity, Referenced Canon Minor Character Death, Swordfighting, minor hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 12:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19005565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Zelda often sneaks out of the castle at night, just to find some freedom. But what happens when she meets Mipha, the Zora Princess, and together they turn on a piece of Sheikah tech that sends them into a complex trial? They'll need to depend on their skills, minds, and each other to survive; the trial might not be so separate from real life, after all...





	Kindred Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for both Zora Mermay and Maypha! I tried to fill as many prompts as I could, lol.
> 
> May it be noted! All sharks portrayed here are monsters, but real sharks are good creatures! They need love too.

Zelda shouldn't be out so late. She knew better; she knew that the guards would no doubt be following her, ready to bring her back to the castle. 

But she wasn't ready to turn around. 

It was a clear night, only a few clouds drifting over the cloudy sky, and Zelda felt alive. The grass under her feet was soft and wet from the rain, no doubt soaking the hem of her dress, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Every breath in her lungs felt crisp and cold, driving her to run faster, faster-

Until she came upon the riverbank.

This is where she should have turned back. She knew that, but at the same time... There was no way she could go back. Even if she ran back to the castle, sneaked back into her room, and tried her best to fall asleep, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Not on this kind of night. Not now that she had already felt freedom.

And there was something about the water that-

Wait. 

What was that?

Zelda was at full alert, staring down into the river. It was a deep, slow-moving river, with quite a distance between herself and the other side. But there, deep in the water, it almost looked as if something was glimmering in the moonlight. What could possibly...  
No. It was clear this... Whatever it was, wasn't just catching the light. There was a pinkish hue to it that the moon just didn't have. The very sight of it made Zelda's heart beat faster. What could it be? Some new form of algae they had yet to discover? Something precious someone had dropped into the deep waters?

Stripping off her heavy outer dress, Zelda prepared herself to dive into the water. She knew how to swim well enough, and the warming spring weather endured it wouldn't be too cold...

With a deep breath, she plunged into the water.

Immediately Zelda caught sight of the object again, swimming deeper and deeper to get there. As she came into focus, though...

It was moving?

Perhaps it was a kind of fish, or maybe the current had just caught hold of it. Whatever it was, Zelda had better move quickly to keep up with it. Ignoring the ache in her lungs, she kept going.

No, wait. It had to be a fish, or something living, because-

Oh, no. It was much bigger than she thought. What Zelda had seen at first appeared to just be one little bit of a fin, but as it turned the water around her lit up with pinks and yellows and blues. This creature, as she had determined it was, had to be around her size, perhaps larger.

Then it turned, and she was brought face to face with a beautiful girl.

Zelda had learned about the Zora before, but only now put two and two together. This was no creature, she was staring directly into the glowing amber eyes of a Zora girl. Silver jewelry caught the lights, shimmering in all sorts of colors as it practically dripped off her body. Red fins framed her lovely round face, lit up with pink spots. Her face was pale, her lips bright red, the teeth visible in her open mouth as sharp as a sharks.

Heart beating fast in her chest, and lungs gasping for air, Zelda panicked. It didn't help that she was so startled, that this girl was so beautiful... All she could think so do was swim back up, hoping she hadn't been rude.

When she broke the surface of the water, though...

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"What!?" Zelda spun around, and there she was still, having followed her up to the surface.

She laughed gently; not in a teasing way. "I'll take that as a yes. I'm sorry for that."

"N-no, don't be sorry." Zelda swallowed, trying to pull herself together. "I just wasn't expecting... I'm sorry, I'm Zelda."

"Mipha." She smiled, giving a little curtsy-esque nod. "It's nice to meet you, Zelda."

"It's nice to meet you as well."

"If you don't mind me asking, though..."

Zelda kicked over to the side of the river, hauling herself out and sitting on the bank. "What is it?"

"What are you doing out here so late?"

As much as she wanted to have a good answer to that... "I was trying to get away from the castle for a little bit."

Mipha nodded, swimming over to join her at the side. "I understand that well... I guess you could say that's part of why I'm here, too."

Zelda blinked. "Really?"

"I mean, if I'm correct... You're Princess Zelda, aren't you?"

The reality of the situation, being a lone princess out in the middle of the night talking to a stranger, hit her, but she chose to the racing of her heartbeat. There was an honesty in Mipha's eyes, somehow...  
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking, because Zelda was barely holding herself together. Why did girls have to be so beautiful?

Ignoring the danger, she nodded. "Yes."

"Then we have more in common than you think, I'm guessing." Mipha gave her a toothy grin that made Zelda's heart skip a beat. "I'm Lady Mipha, the Zora equivalent, you could say."

Zelda frowned, rethinking what she had said. "Wait. What did you mean, 'part of the reason'?"

"Well..." Mipha blushed, a pretty pink across her pale cheeks. "Would you like to see?"

This was probably a bad idea, but... If Mipha was who she said she was, she was in no danger. And if no one caught her out here...

Zelda glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was coming, then nodded. "Sure."

"Just a moment, I'll need to grab something for you."

Mipha disappeared beneath the surface, and Zelda was left to watch her glowing fins dive deeper and deeper into the water. She was beautiful, leaving Zelda breathless. Pinching herself, she checked to make sure this wasn't just a dream.

When she reemerged, it was with a piece of coral in her hand. "Here."

Zelda accepted it; feeling the surprisingly soft texture between her fingers. "What it it for?"

"Chew it." Mipha instructed. "It'll allow you to breathe underwater for a time, though... It will feel strange, though, I'll warn you."

Interesting. She had never heard of such a coral, and yet... Zelda felt it in her fingers, smelled it, then popped it in her mouth without another thought. It tasted slightly chalky, and a fair amount like river water, but overall it wasn't unpleasant. 

"Alright, are we set to go?"

Mipha nodded. "Here, hold my hand; I'll guide you."

Zelda blushed, but managed to take her hand as they plunged beneath the surface.

True to Mipha's word, she found herself able to breathe in the water as if it were air. It felt a little heavy, and a fair amount unsettling to breathe in liquid, but the miraculous nature of it overwhelmed the discomfort.

This would require further documentation later; she made a mental note of it.

"Here." Mipha said, surprisingly clear through the water. "This is what I've been coming down to look at, recently. Before that it was just sneaking out for the sake of it, but... This has gotten me quite perplexed."

Half buried in the soft river silt was what appeared to be a piece of ancient Sheikah tech. It consisted of a large screen plate, with one set of handles visible.

"There are handles on the other side too, I've uncovered them before." She explained, releasing Zelda's hand to dig away the silt. "Help me?"

Zelda nodded, and began digging as well. Soon they had both sides uncovered, and...

"What's this?" Zelda asks, running her finger along the carvings in the side. "There's an inscription here!"

Mipha perked up, eyes wide. "Really? What does it say?"

"Well, the ancient Sheikah is hard to translate directly," She explained, suddenly sheepish, then cleared her throat. "Find a kindred soul and grasp the sides together. Then you may face my trial."

"Kindred soul?" 

"Well, it could also be translated soulmate." Zelda explained, face turning bright red. "Or best friend. Or closest one. Something to that affect, but... I'm a little more focused on the trial part."

"Want to try it out?" Mipha asked, grabbing ahold of one side. "There's only way to know if we're kindred souls, you know."

Zelda blushed, but nodded. "I guess."

She grabbed ahold, and the screen lit up blue. Mipha's body was enveloped in the same kind of blue light, wrapping around her- 

Zelda looked down to see the same thing happening to her, staring in horror until it covered her eyes.

Then everything went black.

***

When Zelda opened her eyes, it was back in the castle.

"Was that just a dream?" She questioned aloud, glancing around the room.

But no. There was something distinctly wrong about it in way that she just couldn't put a finger on. Something felt... Off.

And she was wearing clothes again, when she had only been in a slip before. And the clothes-

It definitely was not a dream, because Zelda was confused. Hylians hadn't worn skirts and tops in this kind of cut for at least a couple centuries. The belt around her waist had a banner down the front, proclaiming a family history that most definitely was not her own. 

"Okay..."

After seeing her clothes, Zelda decided to explore the room further. It appeared to be one of the lower floor bedrooms of the castle, which fit with the social class of her clothing. Somehow, here, she was definitely a working woman.   
The room was simple in its furnishings, with a sturdy bed and nightstand which looked normal even for her time period, a window overlooking the moat, and the abnormal part: a rack set up to hold a full set of armor. It was lightweight armor, the kind guards would have worn back then.

So, apparently she was in an old version of the castle where she was a guard, or perhaps a low-ranking knight. Interesting...

Someone knocked on the door. "Your joust is in a half an hour; you wouldn't want to be late."

A joust, huh? Apparently it really wasn't kidding when it said "trial." Zelda would need to get herself into this armor, and quickly.

Silently, she hoped Mipha was doing alright, trying to dodge the word 'soulmate' in her head.

***

The joust, as it turned out, was only the beginning of things. After that was a sword fight, which she thanked her rigorous fencing lessons for, and an archery competition. Each of them she passed easily, moving on to the next test.

At the end, though, she was proclaimed victorious. And what was her prize to be?

It was at the top of the tower was all she had been told, which sounded like another test to her. There was probably something waiting for her at the top. Zelda readied her sword and her shield, rounding the final corner with them both raised-

At the other side of the room was another knight, outfitted similarly to herself but with red instead of blue on her armor. 

Color coding. How convenient.

"I'm guessing you're my last test?" Zelda asked, brandishing her sword.

Definitely. The odd Sheikah box that sent her here in the first place was in the center of the room, resting on a pedestal.

"Zelda?" Said the other knight, flipping up her visor.

Zelda didn't recognize her at all. She was pretty, though, with her bright red hair done in braids that framed her dark face, her full lips painted a similar shade of crimson. Her cheeks and chin were round, her nose wide and flat.

But the eyes - she had the same bright amber eyes as...

Zelda dropped her weapons lower. "Mipha?"

She smiled, lowering her spear. "This has been quite an adventure so far, hasn't it?"

Unable to speak, blushing wildly, she nodded. Mipha was beautiful; as a Hylian or as a Zora, it didn't matter.

That couldn't be fair.

"That was fun." Mipha said with a smile. "I'm guessing we grab ahold of this again?"

Zelda nodded. "I would guess."

Tossing down their weapons, they both stepped forward, and-

The same blue light overtook them, whisking them away.

***

Zelda was face to face with Mipha when she opened her eyes this time. It was still Hylian Mipha from before, with her long eyelashes and soft cheeks, but this time she was dressed... Interestingly. 

Her long red hair was still done in braids, this time with a headband to hold them back from her face, beads and such interwoven throughout. A necklace with what looked like a form of currency on it hung against her chest and below her collarbone, right above the neckline of her shirt. The shirt was huge on her, with billowy white sleeves barely reigned in by a bright red vest and bright blue sash. She wore black trousers, short enough to leave a gap between them and her heavy black boots. 

A sword hung from the sash, likely indicating more fighting to come.

"What kind of a trial do you suppose it to be this time?" Mipha asked. "You look dashing, by the way."

Zelda looked down to find herself similarly outfitted, but in blue and gold rather than red and blue. Interesting... "As do you; though I don't recognize a thing."

Suddenly, the ground lurched beneath them, sending Zelda toppling over. Mipha, miraculously, retained her balance. 

"Well, we're on a ship, I can tell you that much." She said, offering Zelda a hand. "Besides that... No real idea."

She took the hand, pulling herself back up. "Thank you. A ship? Interesting, what do you-"

A loud BOOM shook the air, the lurch in the ship sending them both to the ground this time.

"I'd recognize that sound anywhere." Zelda said, getting back up onto her feet once more. "Cannon fire. We're under attack."

"Apparently." Mipha agreed, pulling herself up as well. "Think we should see what's going on up there?"

"We may as well." Zelda unsheathed her sword, revealing a strange, curved cutlass. "I guess this'll do."

Mipha nodded. "Let's get on up there."

Climbing the stairs, and avoiding falling over, the two of them made their way up onto the main deck. Rain poured down, drenching them instantly. Sailors ran back and forth, arming cannons, tying ropes, and yelling orders. There was another ship alongside them, close enough to see their men doing the same thing. Cannonballs streaked back and forth from one ship to the other.

"All hands to the starboard side! Grab the harpoons!" Someone commanded over the roaring of the winds.

Zelda and Mipha scrambled over, grabbing the harpoons with the other sailors. Or, maybe not sailors, now that Zelda got a closer look at them. Most of these characters were unsavory looking, like...

Wait. We're they... Pirates? 

She didn't have the time to contemplate that right now, though, because they needed to be pulling in the other boat. Sheathing her cutlass again, she got to work.

Mipha's harpoon hit the first time, along with most of the other pirates, but Zelda's fell short. She hoped Mipha hadn't seen that. Cursing to herself, she pulled it back in and tried again.

This time it struck, and she began to pull with the rest of them. 

The first thing Zelda noticed was that she was most definitely still sore from wearing all of that armor in the first trial, light as it may have been for a full suit. But the ship was being pulled well enough, even if her weak pulls didn't make as much of a difference as she would have liked.

The two ships got close enough, and gangplanks were laid down.

She and Mipha met eyes.

"This seems to be it!" She yelled over the wind.

Miphs nodded, pulled out her sword, and followed the others across the plank.

Fighting broke out on the other side. As opposed to ghe last fights, this one was chaos. Swords hit swords, cannons fired, everything imaginable.  
But near the back of the ship was a set of doors, guarded by four men.

"Over there!" Zelda yelled, pointing it out to Mipha.

Taking a deep breath, they charged into the fray. Mipha was silent, but Zelda yelled as she ran, it only feeling right. She was surrounded by pirates. Letting loose couldn't do much harm.

The four men were easy enough to disarm and drive off, leaving the doors wide open. Glancing behind them to make sure nothing else was coming, they ducked inside.

And there, again, was the box.

"I wonder what it'll be this time..." Zelda thought aloud before grabbing her side.

"Hopefully? Safer." Mipha declared, then they both dematerialized.

***

All Zelda could see when she woke upward a beach... and Mipha was no where to be found. It appeared to be Lurelin Village, to be exact, based on the geography of the cliffs, and, once more, on her clothes. They were patterned cloth wraps, attatched more securely than one would think possible for such a simple garment. She held a fishing harpoon in one hand, a korok leaf in the other.

"Are you sure about this?" Someone asked her. "The monster could be dangerous."

Completely unsure, she nodded. "Just tell me where I need to go."

They sighed, pointing out at the water. "Take your raft out to that island. There'll be a cave you'll need to swim to get into. They say it dwells in there."

It? The monster? Zelda set out, using the korok leaf to generate wind, with far more questions than she had ideas of what she was about to face. She did have a harpoon, and based on how the trials had been up until this point, she would have to fight it.

Maybe it had Mipha.

With a newfound vigor, she pushed the raft further and further out to sea. If Mipha was in trouble, she was coming to save her. Period. They had barely known each other, but... Zelda couldn't let anything happen to her. Her smile was too pure and genuine. She was too adventurous and sweet and kind and...

The words 'kindred spirit' still made her blush.

Before long, Zelda had reached the sea cave. The faint sound of the water lapping against the inside gave it away.

"Here goes nothing," She whispered to herself, took a deep breath, and dove in. 

The saltwater stung her eyes, but still she swam down and down, until she reached the mouth of the sea cave. Gripping her harpoon tighter, she swam through, heading up on the other side...

But what was that? The haze of the ocean water didn't allow her to see very far, so Zelda could only really make out that there was something glowing. It reminded her of Mipha's fins, at first, before she very quickly realized this thing was far, far larger than Mipha. It was huge, spanning all the way to the-

Zelda broke through the water, gasping for breath. 

-surface. The creature was ginormous, staring straight down at her. It's body was serpentine in nature, with small, glowing fins spread out all the way down, two larger ones flaring out on either side of its dragon-like head. Red scales plated it like armor, crusted with jewels and silver. It's amber eyes glowed with the same brightness as its fins.

It opened its mouth and spoke, but Zelda didn't understand a word. Her instincts were telling her to run, to fight, to do something other than tread water with this harpoon in her hand. There had to be some indication of-

There, in the creature's small, taloned hand, was the Sheikah box.

The bioluminescence. The eyes. The red color. This wasn't a monster she had to fight; it was a test to see if she would blindly attack.

Swimming up closer, Zelda dropped the harpoon altogether. Her heart was pounding, but she was going to trust her mind on this one, because she was pretty sure she had to be right. Not everything could be solved with violence.

Climbing up turned out to be harder than expected, though. Zelda slipped and fell multiple times before finally making it up to the box and grabbing the other side.

The whole world seemed to be whisked away in an instant.

***

When Zelda opened her eyes, Mipha looked like Mipha again. No more was the Hylian version; they were back to their normal forms. 

And their normal clothes, Zelda noticed with a start. She was back in her slip. But they certainly weren't back where they started.

"Where are we?" Mipha asked, breathless, eyes wide.

Around them stretched a huge, beautiful beach. White sand was soft beneath their toes, the surf just coming in far enough to wet their feet. The sun was high in the sky, light dancing across the bright blue of the ocean. Puffy white clouds breezed across the clear sky.

"I... Don't know." Zelda admitted. "Where do you think the box is?"

"No idea." Mipha shrugged. "But, while we're here..."

She smiled. "Are you suggesting we go for a swim?"

"If you're interested."

Zelda grinned, turning to run into the surf. "I'll beat you there!"

Mipha laughed, following right on her toes, but Zelda was faster. Soon they were both deep in the warm, beautiful water. Pushing her hair back over her shoulders in a futile attempt to keep it out of her face, Zelda dove beneath the surface.

There, further out in the water, was the box. It was just sitting there, with no apparent danger, nothing guarding it.

She broke the surface again. "The box is out there, caught in some rocks."

"Already!?" Mipha's eyes went wide. "Anything else there?"

Zelda shook her head. "Not that I saw."

"So, now that we know it's here..." The tail on the back of her head wagged back and forth with excitement. "Shall we come back to it in a little bit?"

She blushed. "Beach day?"

Mipha nodded, taking her hand. "Beach day."

***

When they finally grabbed the box and dematerialized, they were still beneath the ocean. Zelda didn't feel the same pressure on her lungs, though. She felt the same as she had when she ate the coral Mipha gave her.

Zelda breathed in, and found it just as natural as breathing air.

Mipha was back in her Hylian form, except...

"Whoa." Zelda's eyes went wide. "You have a tail."

Where her legs should have been, instead Mipha's dark skin shifted to a long red and white tail. Fins in yellow and blue waved in the soft ocean current, the end of her tail moving the same way. 

Mipha smiled. "So do you."

Sure enough; her tail was simpler, a more sleek gray-blue color, the end of the tail looking like a dolphin's.

"Interesting..." Zelda gave an experimental kick and found herself zipping through the water.

This was fast. Very fast. She wondered if...

A great shadow passed over them, blocking out the sunlight filtering through the water.

Mipha gasped. "Zelda, look out!"

A huge shark, larger than any Zelda had ever heard of, was right above her. She froze. Time seemed to slow down. It stared at her, mouth wide and hideous, lined with row upon row of jagged teeth.

Mipha swam up, grabbed her by the hand, and started dragging her away. Startled back to reality, Zelda started kicking again. It was odd, but it didn't take long to get used to the steady motion.

No matter how fast they were, the shark was still right behind them. They swam through coral formations, crags of rock, forests of seaweed so dense they couldn't see all the way through - everything. Still it followed right behind.

And it felt like it was gaining.

"Do you see that?" Mipha gasped, pointing down at a cave in the rock. "It can't fit through there!"

Zelda nodded. "Come on, we have to-"

Then the whole world shook. The water seemed to move impossibly, trying to separate them, but they both held fast to each other's hands. Rocks began to fall from above, breaking off from the cliff above them.

"To the cave!" Mipha yelled, trying to pull them in that direction. "I think I see the box!"

Zelda joined her, swimming as fast as they could through the debris. Rocks were raining down hard, and-

"AHH!" She screamed, almost losing hold of Mipha.

A rock had scraped down the side of her tail, blood flowing into the open water.

Which only excited the shark more. It had lost ground, with all the rocks, but now...

"We don't have time!" Mipha grabbed her, swimming down faster, faster-

The shark was almost on them, it's nose touching the tip of Zelda's tail.

"We won't-"

The shark opened its huge mouth, ready to bite down-

They ducked into the cave just in time, the shark getting a great mouthful of nothing.

"There." Mipha sighed. "Now, let me see that, I'll-"

The cave kept shaking, threatening collapse.

"Worry about me later!" Zelda demanded, swimming over to the box. "We need to get out of here!"

The worried look still on her face, she nodded, swimming over and grabbing hold-

The cave collapsed just as they disappeared.

***

Zelda was back on another ship. That was the first thing she noticed when she rematerialized, followed by the awful pain in her leg.

Damn. She had forgotten that her apparent physical state seemed to transfer as well. The implications behind that were-

"Are you alright?" Mipha asked, back to being a Zora, wearing nothing but a breezy white toga. "Here, let me sit you down."

Not given much of a choice to argue, Zelda lowered herself to the ground. She too was dressed in a similar manner, but her hair was, thankfully, pulled back this time.

Both blushing, Mipha pushed up Zelda's skirt to look at the wound. "This should still work..."

She focused, eyes steady on the gash, hands held in front of it with fingers spread wide. Zelda didn't know what she was doing, but watched in awe as a teal glow started forming around her hands. Bubbles of magic escaped, floating through the air with a rainbow sheen. 

And slowly, miraculously, the gash started to knit itself back together. Skin healed, leaving only the barest trace of a scar.

Mipha sighed, pulling her hands back. "There. Is that better?"

"How did you do that?"

She smiled. "Magic. Now, where are- what's that?"

"What's what?" Zelda looked around the boat; men were rowing at the oars, but they all appeared to be the same man. "I don't see-"

"Shh!" Mipha pressed a finger to her lips.

She blushed, trying to listen.

Then she heard it. There were women singing somewhere, and they were getting louder. It was an odd kind of singing, though. Zelda couldn't put her finger on it, but maybe if she got close to the edge of the boat-

"Wait!" Mipha grabbed her hand. "I've heard stories of these. We can't risk getting near the sides!"

"What do you mean?" She blinked. "I just want to hear them."

"That's how they get you!"

"How what get you?"

"The sirens!" Mipha exclaimed, eyes darting around. "We need to find something to plug our ears, or to hold us in place."

"...if that's what you think it is... There's rope right over there." Zelda frowned, turning her ear to the song. "Tie me to the mast."

"What?"

"You said we need to plug out ears of immobilize ourselves. Obviously, you're the one who's less likely to throw yourself overboard."

Mipha laughed. "That's not exactly how sirens work, but... Let's find something to plug our ears."

Searching the ship proved to be very easy, with the small size as well as its apparent lack of cargo. Down belowdecks they quickly found some wax, but it definitely wasn't much.

"We can only fashion one pair of earplugs, can't we?"

Mipha nodded.

"And you have smaller ears."

"True... I suppose I really am tying you to the mast."

Quickly, they worked enough wax over Mipha's ears that she couldn't hear a thing. Zelda was growing restless, though. She could hear the sirens singing now, and desperately wanted to go hear them. They sounded so beautiful, and-

"We'll tell you how to make Mipha love you." They promised in their sickly sweet voices. "Zelda, come to us."

"I have to go." She told Mipha, starting up the stairs-

But Mipha grabbed her hand, and for a moment it was like she didn't hear them at all. All the voices went silent, and-

"Follow me." Mipha's soft voice was the only one she heard.

She led Zelda by the hand up to the deck of the ship, sirens howling their promises on either side. They offered her the knowledge of how to make Mipha love her, of where the box was, how to get home. Anything she had ever wanted, right there beside her. How to please her father. 

How to unlock the sealing power.

Mipha held tight to her hand, holding her back with strength she didn't look like she possessed. She wanted to go to them. She needed to go to them, to learn-

Grabbing a rope from the deck, Mipha began to tie her to the mast. Zelda struggled, trying to break free, trying to get out. She needed to get there, but Mipha was still holding her down.

The ship rode on, the oarsmen still rowing. The sirens changed their shape, taking in the appearance of Mipha, of her friends growing up, of-

Of her mother.

Zelda screamed, thrashing against the rope, trying to break free, but it was no use. She was there, but just out of reach. She was always out of reach. Tears streaked down Zelda's face as she pleaded for Mipha to untie her, to let her go. 

The cliffs drifted by on either side, and ever so slowly, the creatures voices faded. 

Exhausted, she slumped down against the ropes. They made it through. The sirens had almost gone entirely now, just a whisper in the back of her mind.

"Congratulations." A voice said, louder than the sirens, but with the same feeling, the strange sense it was speaking in her head, not her ears. "You will find the box in the lower hold of the ship."

Then it disappeared, and Mipha was back by her side. She untied the ropes with deft fingers, working quickly at the knots she tied so tightly. Soon enough, Zelda was free, rubbing the sore spots the ropes left on her bare arms.

Mipha pulled the earplugs out of her ears. "Did you hear that voice too?"

She nodded. "Down in the lower hold?"

"Are you alright?"

"Of course." Zelda wiped her eyes, then reached forward, grabbing her hand. "This whole trial thing has turned into quite the adventure, hasn't it?"

"Quite." Mipha agreed. "I'm not sure I was ready, to be honest."

"I'm just glad I've got you here with me."

She blushed, fins moving forward to hide her face. "Should we..."

Zelda nodded. "Yeah, let's... Let's go."

They made their way back down to the hold, still hand in hand. There, in the center of the room, where it certainly hadn't been before. 

"What'll be next?" Mipha wondered aloud, then shook her head. "We'll take it together, right?"

"Right."

They each grabbed a side, and everything shifted again.

***

They were underwater. Again. That was the first thing Zelda noticed, that and that Mipha was directly in front of her.

That was nice. She didn't like starting these things off on her own.

But there Mipha was, still as a Zora, and-

Mipha broke out into laughter. "Zelda, you're-"

"What?"

"Just- just look down."

Furrowing her brow, Zelda looked down at her hands.

The first thing she noticed was that she was blue. Her hands were covered in fine blue scales, finishing off in claw-like nails. Silver bracelets rested on her wrists, much like-

Mipha's.

"Am I a Zora?" She asked, eyes wide.

Mipha nodded. "You look beautiful... I mean, you do always look beautiful, but you still look beautiful, and-"

Zelda laughed. "Come on, let's... Try to figure out what it is this time."

They were in the ocean, that much was apparent. For the most part everything was wide open, and...

"I don't know if I can really see anything out of the ordinary." Mipha observed. "Everything is... I spoke too soon. What's that?"

"Over there?" Zelda pointed out, then caught sigh of the fins on her arm. "That's... Disorienting."

"You'll get used to it; let's go check it out."

Swimming over was a breeze. Zelda had never felt like she glided through the water like this, even when she had a tail. This was incredible. 

Mipha gasped, drawing up to a complete halt. "Well, I'm guessing that's it."

"What is-" Then Zelda saw.

It was a massive ship, lying upright on the bottom of the ocean, just listing slightly away from them. Barnacles encrusted the wood, rust had overtaken the iron, and holes were torn in the sails. Truly, it was a sight to behold. But beyond that...

Creatures swam in and out of portholes, in between sails and rigging. Sharks and eels and monsters Zelda didn't recognize, but instantly feared. Great, clam-like things with razor sharp edges on their shells. Large jellyfish that every once in a while sent electric shocks through the water.

"Want to bet the box is inside?" Mipha reached over, grabbing her hand. 

"Not particularly," Zelda swallowed. "But I'm sure it is."

"Alright, what's the plan?"

She couldn't even begin to think of where to tackle it from. The whole thing terrified her. If only she had something to fight with...

Deep breaths.

"Do you think there would be any weapons onboard?" Zelda asked, turning to Mipha's knowledge of ships.

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Well, then... We should try to find something that could work, but maybe try stealth?"

Mipha nodded. "If we had to fight everything in there at once-"

"Goddess, no."

"-Exactly." She agreed. "Without my trident, at least."

"Well, no sense in sitting around here?"

Mipha smiled. "I don't know why I almost just said 'good luck'."

Zelda laughed, squeezing her hand. "We'll need it, that's for certain."

They only let go so they could look around for something to improvise weapons out of. Unfortunately, there really didn't seem to be much around. Zelda found a sharp rock, and that was basically it.

"Find anything?" She called over her shoulder.

"Unfortunately, no." Mipha answered. "Do you think, maybe, that's the challenge?"

"To go in there with nothing?"

"Precisely." She swam over to where Zelda was. "The idea terrifies me, but..."

"Me too."

"At least we're not alone?"

Zelda smiled. "You know, it feels like I've known you forever."

"I feel the same." Mipha chuckled, leaning in a little closer...

They both pulled back, blushing wildly. "We may as well not waste time, then."

Even though she was the one who pulled away, Zelda couldn't help being disappointed.

Mipha nodded. "Yes, let's... Let's go."

Her heart pounded as they swam closer. Clearly, they couldn't keep low to the ocean floor; the clam-things would get them. By at the same time...

"Wait. Could we go up, then dive down to the ship?"

Mipha shrugged. "I'm sure we could try it."

"Do we get a second shot, though?" Zelda swallowed. "I mean, the gash on my leg stayed to the next one, which..."

If they died here, would they come back in real life?

She paled. "I knew that before you said it, but..."

"We just have to keep going."

"Yeah, let's... Let's go."

Looking at the ship from the top was almost worse. Being able to see the full surface of the deck, all of the monsters swarming around the boat... Deep breaths. That was all they could do.

"So, swimming down." Zelda stated, trying to pull herself together. "Okay. We've got this."

Mipha squeezed her hand tighter, pulling them face to face.

Then she was leaning in for real, still holding Zelda's hand with one hand, the other coming up to hold her face. Her eyes fell shut.  
Zelda couldn't breathe, practically. Her heart was pounding. The blood was rushing in her ears.

Then they kissed, and everything fell silent. 

Mipha pulled away first. "Promise to see each other again, after this is over?"

Zelda nodded. "Now, let's go."

It was like courage filled her veins instead of blood. Down, down, they dove toward the ship. They reached the top of the mast, and-

"Stop!"

Squeezing her hand, Mipha held her back from going down past the sail. Not a second after, a shark swam through, and... 

"That's no real shark." Zelda whispered, shaking her head.

It was horrifying. The skin looked dead, greenish gray and falling off in hideous chunks. Its mouth was bloody, as if it had recently fed.

"Alright, go."

They swam down further, sticking close to the mast all the way down. The deck was so close. But once they got there, what then? Would it be belowdecks? This was a far larger boat than either of the others they had encountered before, so what would that mean for hiding places? And since they were sneaking...

"Hey," Zelda touched Mipha's arm. "The box is going to be harder to find this time."

She nodded, swallowed, but said nothing. They were down at the deck now, but those clam-things were scraping their way across the boards, sending shivers of fear down Zelda's spine each time they moved.

"Alright." Mipha whispered. "As soon as it's clear, we should rush for the door."

"Okay, I'm right behind you."

"One, two..." A clam was getting dangerously close, but- "Go!"

Rushing across, they pushed open the door, stumbling inside. But now...  
The room they found themselves in was simple. A staircase to the left was leading down to a lower section, stairs rickety and half collapsed, full of floating debris. A room to the right, door broken down, was littered with... We're those sheets? Something pale was reaching out to them in thick tendrils-

Zelda froze, hand locking tight around Mipha's. "Jellyfish! That's jellyfish!"

Immediately, Mipha responded, dragging them down the stairs. The tendrils were still reaching out, brushing against her foot-

Not a moment too soon, she pulled her leg in-

And the whole world lit up in electric sparks. 

"Move!" 

Crashing through the stairs, they made their way down. Wood splintered. Zelda hit her head, Mipha gashed her left fin open. Their blood blossomed out into the water.

They met eyes, Zelda feeling the panic fill her chest. "Are you alright?"

Mipha grimaced, nodding. "Think the sharks can smell that?"

"We need to hurry."

"Alright." She swallowed, holding her fin. "Now, from here..."

The ship's lower deck opened up in a long hallway, lined with rooms on either side all the way down. Room after room, they searched as quickly as possible. This ship was huge, each room simple but difficult to search, having to stop and wait for the monsters to swim through-

The next floor down was the last, and it was pitch black... Save for the soft blue of the box glowing on the other side.

"There it is." Mipha whispered. "We just have to make it?"

Zelda shook her head. "It can't be that simple... Can it?"

"Only one way to... What was that? Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

She shivered, pulling back. "It was... Maybe it was just seaweed?"

"Let's just-"

The room lit up with electricity. A jellyfish was there, right in front of them, tendril resting on Mipha's leg-

"Go!" Zelda screamed, grabbing them forward through the jellyfish. 

Tendrils tangled around them. They were so close. All they had left was this final stretch, right? 

Until the next challenge. 

There was no time to think about that. Zelda held her breath. They were almost-

The room set off in sparks, right as they grabbed the handles.

***

When Zelda opened her eyes, it was dark out. She felt like she was floating. The water around her was cold.

Was she dead?

But it wasn't totally dark. Were those... Stars?

"Zelda! Is your head bleeding?" Mipha's voice startled her, and-

There Mipha was, next to her in the water, glowing just like she was when they first met.

"Is it?" Zelda blinked. "How's your fin? Wait, where... Where are we?"

"I already fixed the fin, here, let's get to the side." She lead her over to the side of the river, lifting her up onto the bank. "Here... Good as new."

"I feel better already." She smiled. "Now, where are we?"

"I think... Is that the castle?"

Zelda immediately perked up, glancing over her shoulder. There, on the horizon, was Hyrule Castle, only visible in the light of the just-rising sun.   
That did look like the field she ran across to get here. She was back in her slip dress, and...

"Is the box still down there?"

Mipha shivered. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

They dove back down under the water, Zelda having to hold her breath again. 

Sure enough, there it was. 

Mipha frowned. "Is this our break? Like the time with the beach?"

Zelda, unable to speak, shrugged.

"Only one way to find out."

Letting go of each other's hands, they gripped the handles again.

And nothing happened. Mipha dusted off the box, checked to make sure nothing was wrong - but still it did nothing. Grabbing Zelda's hand again, she pulled them back to the surface.

"You have done well to complete my trial." A voice, like the one from the sirens, spoke in her mind. "May the goddess watch over you, kindred spirits."

Zelda broke the surface of the water, gasping. "Did you hear that?"

Mipha nodded. "Then... We're really back?"

"And the sun is rising..."

She frowned, glancing down at the water. "My people will be looking for me."

"Mine too."

Mipha smiled, leaned in and kissed Zelda on the cheek. "Until next time?"

She blushed. "How's tomorrow night?"

"Sounds great."

"See you then, then." Zelda kissed her cheek, turning to swim away. "Hopefully, in less danger next time."

Mipha laughed. "I agree with that... Goodbye, Zelda."

Then she dove under the water, still glowing. And Zelda, left alone, went to collect her dress from where she left it on the riverbank.

She was in so much trouble when she got back, but... She couldn't say that she regretted it.

Kindred spirits.

And her cheek was still warm where Mipha kissed her.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at supertinydom and supertinywords!
> 
> Comments are love <3


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